Monday, October 31, 2005

So sleepy...

I had my interview downtown today and it went really well, I think. The best thing so far about the interview is what happened with my portfolio. I went into Kinko's last night to print out my portfolio in color, so that I could bring some of my exhibit labels for them to keep. Well, when I went back to Kinko's to pick up the prints, the employee there asked if he could make a copy of my exhibit, "The Wanderers: Creators of a Russian Idiom." Apparently, he had started reading it and hadn't had a chance to finish! How great is that? Makes me feel better about my ability to create compelling and accessible labels, even on obscure Russian art groups. Writing labels is a lot harder than it looks and apparently I don't suck! Yay me!

I am going to go nap now. It's amazing how tired you can get after something like an interview. It's like I've been prepping for a marathon all week.

PS I didn't get to see Rosa Parks because of my interview and I am very sad. I wanted to pay my respects to this magnificent woman. Thank God Congress realized that they should too and laid her in honor in the Capitol.

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Told you so...

I was right and so is he, but I am definitely not gloating.

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Thursday, October 27, 2005

Old and Drunk

I recently had a conversation with my best friend from Mizzou about how our bodies don't snap back as quickly after drinking. When I was in college (and I admit, before I was legal), I could drink several days in a row and still get up for my 8am class bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. In archaeology field school, all you do is drink heavily, for Christ's sake. Our motto was PBR me ASAP and in North Dakota, what else are you supposed to do? But the next morning, I would get up and dig in the dirt for 8 hours with not a hint of a hangover.

And now, you ask? I go to a wedding, get scholshed on white wine and I don't feel like myself until the middle of the next week... So what does this mean? That I'm getting old? That I did so much damage to my body while in college that I can't handle it now? Or is it that when you now run 2.5 miles three to four times a week, your body really wants the poison out? Can being healthier make you less able to handle booze?

Well, regardless, I'm going to raise my glass to all you other mid-twentyites who are feeling the ache like me tomorrow night. And yes, that glass will have booze in it!

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Lesser of Evils?

Harriet Miers has withdrawn her nomination to the Supreme Court today. The official line is that she cannot prove her record without the President releasing "privileged" administration records. Now, that is scary enough on its own... that Bush refuses to have an open and accountable administration, one not ashamed to release documents pertaining to his personal counsel. Okay, Hitler, whatever you say.

The scarier thing for me, though, is that I think Miers partly withdrew because of the conservative backlash. This born-again, anti-choice Evangelical Bush buddy isn't far enough to the right? Are you kidding me? What this means is that though we might have been saved from a Bush buddy, we will now most likely have a nominee from Aryan Nations. Okay, I know that's exaggerating, but how can Bush risk offending the right amidst Cheney's illegal leak, the debacle of Katrina/Wilma, and the death toll in Iraq passing 2000? He can't. So buckle down folks, 'cause I think Miers was the Wicked Witch of the East and we're about to get the Wicked Witch of the West.

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Tuesday, October 25, 2005

When it rains, it pours...

Well, I'm back from Boston and man was it cold!!!! I mean, BRRRRRRRRRRRRRR! But, I am happy to report that the interview went smashingly and I'm very excited about the projects I would be getting to work on. Because it's at a federal institution (I can't say which, because I don't want to jinx anything... but I will say I would get to meet Senator Kennedy if I get the job there), the staff has to make a recommendation to the overall HR team in St.Louis, who in turn yays or nays the person. So, at the earliest, it would be next week before I heard anything.

But that's okay, because I have another interview on Monday the 31st. This job is for writing/researching exhibitions at the National Archives, where I used to work as a graduate student. I would be on a more direct course to a curatorial position than if I got the job in Boston, which is a very collections care oriented position. Regardless, though, I am so lucky to be getting a chance at both of these jobs. The collection in Boston is so diverse--it ranges from costumes, to ethnographic, to photographs, to prints, to dec arts, to documents. The projects are also very cool and the institution has plans to build a new on-site collections storage facility in the next five years, which is very exciting. The job here in DC would also be with an exciting collection, albeit mostly documents...but when you're working with the Emancipation Proclamation, you can't just call it "paper" can you?

This is going to be a long couple of weeks and perhaps a really big decision to make between the Metro and the T. By the way, what kind of silly name for a subway is that? Oh yeah, and the people in Boston are way nicer than some of the people in DC. I think the idea that Yanks are unfriendly is just Southern propaganda... The "cold" thing is true though, that's for damn sure.

Oh yeah, and one final thing... I definitely think my interview went well because of this playlist that one of my favorite peeps in the world compiled just for me! Erik, you going to make me a sequel?

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Thursday, October 20, 2005

Beantown and the "T"

I'm going to Boston this weekend for a job interview and I'm super excited. I've had some other nibbles here in DC, but I'm not against a move. Sure, I ADORE my friends here. A girl couldn't ask for better folks to play "Scrupples" with, that's for sure. Even if they do always give me the bleeding heart liberal questions... because I am a bleeding heart liberal. And DC is a great city. But, I've haven't been to Boston in years and I'm looking forward to spending some time there as an adult. If all works out, perhaps a move to Beantown is in my future. Time for cold winters, for calling the Metro the "T", and, for the first time in my life, living outside of the South (yes, mid-Missouri, you're as Southern as fried okra, whether you admit it or not!)... Don't worry, I'm not putting the cart before the horse; I know that jobs are hard to get at the place I'm interviewing.

If it goes well, expect another post. If not, let's just pretend this never happened and I was just going on a mini-break with my husband...

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Tuesday, October 18, 2005

Evil

So, because of a recent encounter with some frenemies, I've been thinking about the term "evil." Many of us use that word to describe people that we don't like. All of us, for instance, probably have at least one "evil ex-roommate." Democrats often refer to Bush as "evil." Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot, and Mussolini are all "evil" dictators. And to use Bush's unique words, terrorists are "evil-doers."

But is "evil" really the correct word? Now, don't think that for one second I am excusing the actions of any of the persons mentioned above. Each of them, to varying degrees, have committed morally reprehensible acts that betrayed friends, whole peoples, or the very nature of humanity. But here's the issue: these people should be accountable for their actions, for their choice to commit these acts. "Evil" has a sense of absolute, of innate nature, of supernatural and infinite essence. Evil is as it is; it is born not made. When we apply that term our ex-friends, ex-boyfriends, crazy in-laws, or despots like Hitler, are we using the same logic as anti-Semitics use to justify the extermination or discrimination of Jews? Jews, according to such disgusting people, are an inherently evil, base, and inhuman people just because they are. Are we saying, then, that Hitler was just born the way he was? That his actions were inevitable? No, of course not! Hitler, Stalin, terrorists, and Bush should be held accountable for the actions that they choose to make.

I'm not really sure what my point is with all of this... Or if there even is one... Maybe I just feel that we should be more aware of the impact the type of words we use has on our perceptions of people.. Of course, I am usually full of crap and half-thoughts... "Evil" might not even really have the linguistic implications that I think it does... I could just be really bored and filling my time with bad philosophical rants.

And maybe for some people, such as Hitler, there really is no other word that can truly describe their essence and actions than "evil."

Besides "evil ex-roommates" has such good alliteration, doesn't it?

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Thursday, October 13, 2005

Oops... the Duggars Did it Again!

and Again and Again and Again...

For those of you who aren't blessed enough to know of the Duggars, they are a Northwest Arkansas family (where I grew up) who have 16 children. Yep, that's right. As of 6:30am this morning, the Duggar brood numbers 16. And what's most interesting/scary/mind-boggling/weird/pickwhateverwordyouwant is that every child's name begins with the letter J. I'm not kidding. There's Joshua, 17; John David, 15; Janna, 15; Jill, 14; Jessa, 12; Jinger, 11; Joseph, 10; Josiah, 9; Joy-Anna, 8; Jeremiah, 6; Jedidiah, 6; Jason, 5; James, 4; Justin, 2; Jackson Levi, 1; and now Johannah. And their dad's name? You guessed it, Jim Bob. Poor mom, her name is Michelle. She's so left out. Other than the fact that she's birthing a baby every 9 months. And according to Jim Bob, they are ready to start for another, if God blesses them again. I quote: "We both just love children. I have asked Michelle if she wants more, and she said yes, if the Lord wants to give us some she will accept them."

I first became aware of the Duggars when Jim Bob ran for US Senate in 2002. He had previously been elected as a state representative by the good people of NW Arkansas and dreamt of bigger and better things. So, he sent a card to EVERYONE in the mail, knowing in his heart that the people of Arkansas would embrace him.



Now many of you are thinking, well of course Arkansas would LOVE this guy! I mean, look at his nice, Christian family... Look at how they are combating the falling white birth rate singlehandely! Look at their matching outfits--they must be a great jug band! Arkansans love jug bands like they love fried chicken, right? Sadly, too many of you have an incorrect idea of Arkansas and it's constintuents. Yes, the majority of Arkansans (I'm not speaking for myself, of course, being a socialist and all) love white, Christian men with strong values who tend toward the conservative side. Or are Bill Clinton. But there is such a thing as going too far for us and the Duggars do that... in more than one way. Wink wink, hint hint, say no more.

Don't believe me, the Arkansan expatriate living in D.C.? Well, here's the viewpoint from an Arkansas blog:

Oh lordy, I tried my best to pass up this blog....just let it go.....leave it be. But it's just simply too delicious. First all, my 2 kids just love the Duggar's, or at least the concept of a Duggar. They regularly scan the news, looking for something new, usually of the flesh variety, at the Duggar Barracks.

They use the name to describe many as in, the dog has fleas as thick as Duggar's. Or we have enough cookies to feed the Duggar's. The term Duggar used to mean 15, which came off as , how much money will it cost, hon? Duggar's daddy, so I'd know to spool out 15 bucks. Now I'll have to keep a bunch of 1's around in order to hand out 16 bucks.

Also if my wife and I disappear upstairs one of the kids will holler Duggar at us when we come back down. Man, I wish! And it made getting our oldest girl on birth control pills last month easier by reasoning that it would be best for our family if she didn't goof up and Duggar by accident. We tell her she'll have lots of time to Duggar in the future. Duggaring is natural, Duggaring is good, not everybody does it, but everybody should.

And we remind her that to be a good parent means at least 20 years of care and worry 24/7 for each Duggar. Let's see, 16 times 20 = 320 years. ...Hope Michelle takes her vitamins, she's got to live a long long time. And honestly, what's one more kid after you have 15? I say give the ole girl a few days to rest up and then let's get those legs back up in the air. My new motto is Make Duggar's, Not War!


So, what's the moral of this story? That Arkansans are just like the rest of the country thinks we are--dumb, ignorant, racist, Christian freaks with Pentecostal hair and matching doilie dresses? Yes, but at least we, including our most famous native son Bill Clinton, Duggar a lot!

For those of you who are interested in learning more about the Duggar way of life, here is a link to the family's website. They will even answer your yearning questions! Or you can just watch them on the Discovery Channel or the Learning Channel. Yes, they have shows about their life.

God, no wonder people make fun of Arkansas.

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Book and Cook

Since I'm not in school and I have a husband who isn't a big reader, I have a longing to talk about books with people. So, I formed a Book and Cook club and we had our first meeting last night. It began with a rousing viewing of America's Next Top Model and ended with gorging ourselves on cupcakes. In the middle, of course, was the book discussion. We read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon. Really excellent read written from the first-person perspective of a 15-year-old boy with Asperger's autism. What I liked best about the book was the way that it humanized people with different realities. Normally, if you saw a person groaning and flipping out on the street, you would probably think, "what an awful little brat." But this book really shows how we all cope differently and some of us just break down. I mean, really, who hasn't wanted to throw a temper tantrum or hide in a cabinet at one time or another? As someone with an anxiety disorder, I admit that I sometimes can't cope and act out. I become a turtle and hide in my shirt or under a pillow. It happens to us all, at least the feeling does. And this book provided dialogue for that.

On another note, Lisa on America's Next Top Model is definitely a boozer. Not to mention a lazy eye... Great entertainment!!!

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Friday, October 07, 2005

Mr. Smithson and Fugly Friends

So, some good news! My contract was extended at the Smithsonian. Thanks, Mr. Smithson, for providing me with the funds to pay back my student loans! I also just found out that I made the first cut for this job I really want in Boston.

On to other news.

At my job, I scan historical scientific illustrations. This means that I have lots of time to browse the internet while the scanner does what scanners do, which is scan. I've recently become OBSESSED with several celebrity gossip sites. I get to look at great pictures that have minimal captions... unlike US Weekly, which requires me to spend so much time READING. Sheesh. One site, Popsugar, updates so regularly that I can actually check more than once a day. Junk-Feud has hilarious captions... But my favorite, I think, is GoFugYourself. GoFugYourself is dedicated to cataloguing the atrocious fashion choices of celebrities... the sad thing is that I like a lot of the stuff that they hate. Sigh. There goes my dream of a Hollywood career!

Finally, I've also been wasting my time with Friendster. I LOVE it! I've found several friends I had lost contact with and I get to write little diatribes about myself. It's all about amassing as many friends/acquaintances as you can so everyone thinks that you rock. The down side is that people you lost on purpose can find you. Oh well, that still gives me something to do why my Trout scans at 600dpi.

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